NEPA Sports Nation

Today in NEPA Sports Nation, 9/1

With September’s arrival, another league gets underway Thursday.

The first five matches of the Wyoming Valley Conference girls volleyball season are scheduled.

No. 4 Nanticoke is at No. 6 Dallas in a meeting of teams ranked in the Electric City Volleyball Academy Elite Eight Power Rankings of District 2 teams.

That is the only match between teams that had winning records in the WVC a year ago.

Lake-Lehman, another winning team from 2021, is at Pittston Area, which finished at .500.

The rest of the openers are Wyoming Area at Tunkhannock, Wyoming Valley West at Hanover Area and Holy Redeemer at MMI Prep.

Defending Division 1 champion Western Wayne is at North Pocono, one of this season’s potential contenders for that crown, in a Lackawanna League match.

The schedule is busy across multiple sports.

In girls tennis, the four remaining Lackawanna League unbeatens square off to reduce that list to two by the end of the day.

Co-leader Wallenpaupack (4-0 league, 5-1 overall) is at defending champion Abington Heights (3-0). Abington Heights is No. 1 and Wallenpaupack is No. 6 among Big Schools in the Riverfront Sports Super Six Power Rankings of District 2 teams.

Delaware Valley (3-0) is at Scranton Prep (4-0). Delaware Valley is ranked fifth among Big Schools and Scranton Prep is second among Small Schools.

In boys golf, second-place Hazleton Area (6-1) is at first-place Crestwood (8-0) in a key Wyoming Valley Conference Class 3A Division match. Crestwood is ranked first and Hazleton Area third among Big Schools in the Riverfront Sports Super Six Power Rankings of District 2 teams.

In boys soccer, defending District 2 and Lackawanna divisional champions meet when Holy Cross goes to North Pocono.

Holy Cross, which will be playing its opener, is the top Small School team in the Riverfront United Super Six Power Rankings of District 2 teams. North Pocono (2-0) is the No. 2 Big School after finishing in the No. 1 spot last season.

In field hockey, Pittston Area goes to rival Wyoming Area and two games match Wyoming Valley Conference Division 1 teams against each other in non-league play.

Delaware Valley is at Honesdale and Hazleton Area is at Dallas in games between teams that will play each other again later in the season with conference standings at stake.

In girls soccer, the schedule includes Mountain View (1-1) at Wyoming Area (2-0) in a non-league game.

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